ing most or all it requires within itself. There may thus be a less or greater number of these great secondary associations in the same nation. This would undoubtedly be in many respects preferable to the neglecting to form such great secondary associations :-as, if this were not done, the various branches of production and distribution would be liable to very irregular influence, in the supply and demand of labour and produce; as will be shewn to arise when men viciously associate.

4. Under the constitution we are now considering, the gains should be equally or nearly equally divided, among the members of each association; instead of the present mode, whereby the conductors or masters, frequently absorb as much as a hundred of their servants or more.

5. This may appear to some paradoxical, but it must be remembered, first,-that where the greatest plenitude may be produced for all, for some to desire that others should be less wealthy than they are, is simply for the former, to desire to deprive the latter of that wealth, which can be of no conceivable benefit to themselves, and is therefore utterly opposed to the divine law. And, secondly,-that all men, in all ages, being under this holy law, what is lawful for one man is so for another. If then, any man can lawfully desire, by becoming a master or conductor, to engross to himself a larger share of the wealth, produced only by the united labours of all, any other may, and consequently all other men may desire the same; whereby we might have among the productive classes, all men, in all countries and all ages, trying to be masters: all wanting to engross a greater share of wealth than others; each, therefore, loving himself better than his neighbours, in contravention of the divine law, which thus directs every man: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.'-(Luke xxii. 25 to 27., xii. 36, 37.)

6. The constitution we are now considering, being without a government, to control the productive and other powers of a nation, the members, it is obvious, cannot possibly fill those situations most adapted to their capacities; nor can the necessary attention be paid to locality, in forming the secondary associations; nor, indeed, can any of the business of production or distribution be most effectively carried on. Under the perfect constitution, to will, and to carry to completion, all works, whether small or great, is without difficulty;-as far as human ability can go, humbly imitating the divine power, which decreed, Let there be light, and there was light.'

7. In imperfect association, it is impossible that any member whatever, however large the numbers, and however he may be placed, can reciprocate so much good, as is attainable by perfect association. In the latter, any benefit conferred by any one member, in the way of instruction, discovery, &c., is immediately accessible to all; but here, the beneficial effects of these things

must necessarily be limited, from the want of the means by which alone, they are so easily, universally diffusable.

8. Whenever the true principles of legislation and political economy come to be understood, and reduced to practice, the great question as to the production and distribution of wealth must be, how, under the divine blessing, to apply the powers of men, so that a plentitude may be produced for all; yet without its being so great as to lead to licentiousness.

9. The grand question now to be solved, says a writer of the present day,is, not how a sufficiency of wealth can be produced;but how the excess of riches which may be most easily created, may be generally distributed throughout society, advantageously for all.-(Mr. Owen.)

10. If any object that what is here proposed, is to a less or greater degree impracticable, from the waywardness of mankind, all that we can possibly have to do with this, is to lament it. Our province is simply to endeavour to elicit the truth, and all that we can be chargeable with, is the failing to discover more of it, or mistaking error for it. Anxious endeavours have been used to avoid both. Whilst few things are more easy, than to guide all the members of an association to the attainment of the very highest plentitude of prosperity, if all are anxious to know and practise their duty; i. e., by uniting them in the mode pointed out in the last chapter, nothing is so difficult, as to induce even a few to know and practise the divine will.

11. The whole of the law of God is, as we have seen, comprehended in one word,-LovE. Upon the entire freedom of the will, therefore, must ever be dependent all law, be it divine or human. If this freedom is altogether destroyed, men must either be rendered wholly incapable of action, or irresistibly impelled by a higher power. In the one case, they are deprived of existence. In the other, they are reduced to mere machines. Consequently, they could neither act righteously, nor unrighteously; nor be liable to reward or punishment. And if this may be affirmed, of the total destruction of the freedom of the will, it may of that which controls such will, precisely in the degree the constraint is exercised. Nothing, then, can be more obvious, than that the perfect freedom of the will is necessary for the suitable obedience of the law of love. And it is thus the foundation of all moral obligation, of all that can make men happy in time or eternity! This may be otherwise expressed, thus-if we imagine a being under an irresistible necessity of doing some, and leaving other things undone, this necessity certainly cannot extend to the divine affection of love; because this only can be well pleasing to the object of it, from the consideration that it is perfectly voluntary on the part of the agent. The being endowed with the liberty of choosing good or evil is therefore necessarily inseparable from our constitution, because

Or

without it we could neither have loved God nor each other. in other words, if we had been placed, under an invincible necessity of acting in some particular manner, and no other, we could not have rendered to the Almighty the voluntary homage of our affections, which alone is well pleasing to him. Nor could our instrumentality in promoting the happiness of each other, be grateful to our fellow creatures; because our actions arising from necessity, would by that circumstance alone, be deprived of all that can impart delight.

12. Nothing, therefore, but a vigorous determination on the part of each individual, aided by divine grace, (John xv. 5.) will enable men to love God and each other as they should. And though the assistance of Heaven is never wanting when properly sought, the desire to seek it unhappily too often is; whence arises all the sin and misery that have in all ages deluged the world. These observations are remarkably exemplified in the case of the Hebrews,-to adopt the language of their lawgiver: Behold,' says he, 'I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ve should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep, therefore, and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding, in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes; and say,-surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is, in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous, as all this law, which I set before you this day?'-In sad opposition, however, to all this, what nation do we hear of, either in ancient or modern history, that so emphatically evinces, the best institutions will not necessarily, and of themselves, oblige a people to perform their duty, in the sight of Heaven?

13. Some idea of the difference, between what human association is, according to the will of men, and what it should be, according to the will of God, may be obtained from the following considerations. However great may be the number, that compose the grand association of the whole world, and for however many generations it may be continued; even though including the whole human race, from the creation to the consummation of all things-if properly constituted-there never could have been a single thought of the mind, of any one of all the inconceivable multitude, that composed the association; but what should have been formed, through the assistance of the Holy Spirit: for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.' If, then, we look at the holiest among men, and as far as human eye can scan, consider for how small a portion of their lives even they are truly led by the Spirit of God;'-and remember, also, how the rest of mankind comport

themselves, we may form a very inadequate idea of the difference between what human association, as designed by GoD, with himself AT ITS HEAD, AND DIRECTING ALL ITS OPERATIONS, would be-and what, it is become, through the wickedness of man. (2 Cor. xiii. 14.) Its wretched state is not however perceived by the generality of mankind, from their not properly directing their attention to the matter. (Acts xxviii. 27.)

14. Could men be prevailed on to maintain that union with Heaven, so unspeakably important to them, they would be secure from all ills! Whilst they neglect it, they cannot but be obnoxious to them. The apprehension, therefore, that by perfect association, the plenty generated, would seduce men, unassisted by divine grace, into licentiousness; (Prov. i. 32. Ezek. xvi. 49.) leads us to consider, that though this constitution appears to be the only one which truly accords with the divine will, imperfect association is that alone which is suitable for mankind: i. e., because they will not live according to the will of God.-To limit the good designed by heavea, is however, all that can be done; that men ought not viciously to associate must be obvious, and will be more fully evinced in the following chapter.

CHAP. V.

VICIOUS ASSOCIATION.

A long period has elapsed, since my mind was first impressed with the belief, that there exists in the heart and vitals of society, some deeply rooted but concealed disease and continued reflection upon the subject has only tended to confirm and strengthen the opinion. (The Social System, by John Gray.)

That savage tribes, ignorant of the means of production, disinclined to labour, should be overtaken by want, were a matter of surprise; but that, where art and nature bad run as it were a race of emulation, in the prodigality of their gifts, to intelligent and industrious millions; that these millions should be disenabled from enjoying the products of their own creation, this is the mystery, -this the astounding spectacle. (Inquiry into the Distribution of Wealth, by W. Thompson.)

The greatest evils in society arise from mankind being trained in principles of disunion. (Mr. Owen.)

1. It appears in fact to be of opinion, says one of the writers just quoted, that the general plan of society is founded upon some immutable basis, some unalterable law of nature; and that, therefore, to purge it of a few corruptions, is all that is necessary to make it go on smoothly, and as well as we have any right or reason to expect. But this is a fatal error, a disease as dreadful as it is extensive; it is the paralysis of society, which

benumbs and deadens all our exertions, and renders us the willing slaves of a condition, which we possess the power of improving in a most extraordinary degree. (The Social System.) Perhaps, says an American writer, no study of the day which bears the name of science, presents more vague theory, grave mysterious empiricism, dull prolixity, inconsequential arguments, gratuitous assumptions, jejune discussions, and elabor..te triviality, [than political economy]. There are many useful truths which pass under its name, but a large proportion of the treatises, from that of Adam Smith downwards, by the disciples of his school; seem to bear the same relation to an intelligible, practicable developement, of the causes and phenomena of national growth, wealth, and decline, that alchemy does to modern chemistry. (Ency. Amer. Art. Pol. Econ.)

2. We have seen that all opposition among men is unlawful in the sight of God. To suppose for a moment that any can be necessary, is a reflection on his wisdom, power, and goodness; for how can it be imagined, that in a constitution of things, where nothing can be done but by association,-where every thing depends on the power derivable from association being directed to proper objects;-yet a certain degree of opposition is necessary to the well-being of such association. What more direct contraries can be imagined? Are the north and south,light and darkness,-vice and virtue,-love and hatred,-heaven and hell, more contrary to each other, than association and opposition?

3. It is from the formation of unlawful associations that opposition is generated; and these unlawful associations, in reference to men's productive powers, are of two kinds; political and commercial.

4. Under the perfect or imperfect modes, no unlawful associations being formed, all opposition is excluded.

5. According to the vicious mode, a part of the nation to the exclusion of the remainder, engrosses the political right, and thence the land; and thus we have an unlawful political association.

6. This necessarily gives rise throughout a nation to unlawful commercial associations, the members of which, in their collective or individual capacities, oppress one another, or compete with one another.

7. And thus opposition every where exists. Vicious association, therefore, may be called opposition association.

8. Here the productive powers of men and the land are sometimes uncontrolled by the government. In certain nations that viciously associate, we find all the land, and all the labour, controlled by the government.

9. To unfold the nature of commercial opposition, is now our business, reminding the reader, that the Great Creator did not